A Good Person

by Kirsten King

Gone Girl meets Big Swiss in this electric, binge-of-a-debut about a millennial antihero who seeks revenge on her ex-situationship with a hex, only for him to actually, literally die.

Lillian and Henry have been enjoying each other’s company, especially in bed. Even though Lillian’s best friend calls it “situationship,” Lillian is determined to lock Henry down—and she has a plan. She’ll be the best, most accommodating version of herself until he falls in love with her. But when Henry blindsides Lillian with a breakup, Lillian exacts revenge by performing a drunken hex on him.

Lillian expects Henry to come crawling back to her. What she doesn’t quite anticipate is becoming a prime suspect in his murder case when he’s found dead. As Lillian grapples with the loss of her sort-of-boyfriend, she’s hit with another That Henry had a long-term girlfriend he also left behind. 

Desperate to control the narrative, clear her name, and assume her rightful place as Henry’s mourning girlfriend, Lillian’s pursuit of the truth will throw her into a dangerous tailspin. A deliciously addictive novel that explores our darkest, most human impulses, A Good Person heralds Kirsten King as a striking new voice in the canon of celebrated fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Contemporary, Thriller, Adult Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 31, 2026

Reviews

[Brooke 𝜗𝜚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

╰┈➤ 𝟺.𝟽𝟻 ✰ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ

❝𝑰 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕.❞

📚⋮ 𝐀 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧

⤷ buddy read with Nancy & Lina ♡

🖊️⋮ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝙺𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚐
📱⋮ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭: 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎
🏷️⋮ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝙳𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚢
📆⋮ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝟷/𝟹/𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼-𝟷/𝟽/𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟼
📃⋮ 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬
「 Lillian and Henry have been enjoying each other's company, especially in bed. But when Henry blindsides Lillian with a breakup, Lillian exacts revenge by performing a drunken hex on him. Lillian expects Henry to come crawling back to her. What she doesn't quite anticipate is becoming a prime suspect in his murder case when he's found dead. Desperate to control the narrative, clear her name, and assume her rightful place as Henry's mourning girlfriend, Lillian's pursuit of the truth will throw her into a dangerous tailspin.”」

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

❝𝑾𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒍𝒚.
𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓’𝒔
𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓.❞

ᴍʏ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ★★★★.75/5
ɢᴏᴏᴅʀᴇᴀᴅꜱ ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 𝟺.𝟹𝟺 ☆ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ
ᴘᴀɪʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ: ᴀɴʏ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀʟᴄᴏʜᴏʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴏɴ 🍻
ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ?: 👍🏼
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀᴍᴇᴅ — ᴍɪʟᴇʏ ᴄʏʀᴜꜱ
0:10 ———♡——— 2:48

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

╭───
┆
╰⪼ 🎶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺, 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘱, 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘺, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘯 '𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

⊱ ────── {⋆ ‧₊˚♪𝄞 ⋆} ────── ⊰

ʀᴇᴀᴅ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ:
🍸 ᴅᴀʀᴋ ʜᴜᴍᴏʀ
🔪 ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴅᴇʟᴜʟᴜ
🍸 ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ ɢɪʀʟ ʟɪᴛ
🔪 ᴘᴜᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇxᴇꜱ ᴏɴ ᴇxᴇꜱ
🍸 ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇᴀʙʟᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ

❝𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑱𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒔.❞

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

💬⋮ 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬
⤷ Wanna feel better about your mental state? Read A Good Person. Man, and I thought I was delusional, but our girl, Lillian, takes the cake. She is delulu with a capital D, the most unhinged girl in all the land. Basically she is cuckoo crazy nuts. While it was sometimes exhausting & uncomfortable being in her brain, I could not put this book down. I get why Kelsey raved about this one. I was cracking up & cringing simultaneously, it was an interesting cycle.

⤷ Even though Lillian is written to be unlikeable, I couldn’t help, but feel sorry for her & even tried to root for her even though it was hard to justice her actions. I felt even worse for her friend, Jamie, though. #justiceforjamie

⤷ I hate to admit this, but I found myself relating to Lillian in some ways. I think it’s only human to find ourselves unlikeable at times. And it’s good when we’re self aware to recognize our flaws, unlike our girl Lillian. I’ll let some of my favorite quotes do the talking with what me & Lillian have in common:

❝I felt like Dexter Morgan, making choices that were ultimately for the best, but that would be difficult to explain to others. But unlike Dexter, I wasn’t a murderer.❞

❝I would brush it under the rug with all the other things I didn’t want to look at.❞

❝…spent $62 on Taco Bell one night.❞

❝We flaunted our deepest traumas in TikTok videos. We claimed we did these things to feel “less alone” in the world, but we did it to feel special.❞

❝Every lie I told had a purpose. I was constantly guessing the needs of those around me and tweaking my reality to be what they needed to hear.❞

❝The day stretched in front of me like an ocean I was meant to cross with no boat. It was barely twelve in the afternoon, and I didn’t know what I would do until it was time to sleep. Was this what being depressed felt like? Like your life had stopped propelling you forward?❞

❝I was beginning to think this whole endeavor was a bad idea. I had hoped that my session would be like Tony Soprano’s; she would know I wasn’t perfect but be endeared to me still.❞

⤷ And if there is one quote to sum up Lillian as a person, it would be this:

❝It was unfortunate she couldn’t find confidence from her own inner world, like I did.❞

⤷ If you find yourself relating to Lillian a little too much, please seek therapy & don’t lash out on the therapist when they call you out on your narcissism.

⊹ Thank you to Nancy & Lina for joining me on this crazy little adventure. I loved our chats, theories, & trying to understand Lillian’s complex brain. 🤣

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ

❝𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓.❞

♡ Thank you NetGalley & G.P. Putnam Sons for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Be on the lookout for A Good Person, hitting shelves on March 31st 2026!

[Kelsey S · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG SHE’S BEING MADE INTO A MOVIE!!!! Congrats Kirsten King and Daisy Edgar Jones!
*******
I NEED you to add this to your TBR if you were even remotely enthralled by that woman on TikTok that was in love with her therapist. I could not put this book down. It was funny, gave me anxiety, and had a great mystery.


Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this eARC! And a MAJOR thank you to Kirsten King for her physical ARC giveaway that I was the LUCKIEST recipient of. Comes out March 31, 2026.
▹My ⭐ Rating: ★★★★.5 out of 5
▹Format: 📱 eReader
─────────────────────────

○★○ What to Expect from This Book: ○★○

– About: A millennial antihero (Lillian) seeks revenge on her ex-situationship, only for him to coincidentally die the next day. After an investigation is opened, Lillian comes to find out that she wasn’t the only woman in his life, and she becomes obsessed with being the better “girlfriend” and finding out what happened to him.
– Location: Boston, MA
– POV: Single first-person
– Spice: A few open-door sex scenes (one of dubious consent)—but this is not categorically a romance book
– Tropes: suspense/literary fiction, narcissistic protagonist, millennial, murder mystery, weird girl lit
– Triggers: murder, narcissism/victim mentality, manipulation, dubious sexual consent, alcoholism, complex mother/daughter relationship
– Representation: LGBTQ+ side character, potty humor 😊

─────────────────────────

↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺ 1:00 ──ㅇ────── 4:12

Now Playing: You’re So Vain by Carly Simon

╰┈➤ ❝You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.❞

─────────────────────────

★○ If You Like the Following, You Might Like This Book ○★

➼ Narcissistic lead characters who are somehow also endearing, like in the TV shows Fleabag, BoJack Horseman, Girls, and You
➼ Weird, unlikable main characters who keep you on your toes and makes you thank your lucky stars that you are not inside their head 24/7
➼ That woman on TikTok (in 2025) that was in love with her therapist, or that woman from the documentary Unknown Number

─────────────────────────

⍟»This or That«⍟

Character Driven———✧————————Plot Driven
Fast Burn—————————✧——Slow Burn
Light/Fluffy——————✧—————Heavy/Emotional

─────────────────────────

🎯 My Thoughts:

WHAT A DEBUT!! I was blown away and can’t wait for more from this author in the future. I could not put this book down. It was funny, gave me anxiety, and had a great mystery.

When I saw that this was being compared to Gone Girl, I was expecting more of a thriller (I remember being somewhat scared during that book), but this book was not scary to me. I mean, scary being inside that woman’s head, sure…but not like I was afraid to turn the lights off or anything. There is a murder. There is commentary about humanity. But it’s quite funny. I actually really appreciated that about this book.

The thing is, I think many people will relate to this book in ways that they may not want to fess up to, which is hilarious to me. It opens the discussion about being self-involved in a way that I haven’t really seen in books before. I loved to hate this character, but gall dang it if I didn’t also agree with her sometimes hahaha.

I also highly recommend checking out the author’s Instagram page (and her book-related page for the main character) if you read/like this book. It’s fun stuff.

Trying to get you to read this using some of my favorite quotes:

╰┈➤ ❝In the past, I had dated people in two-month stints, the situation usually coming to an end when I started acting like a person with feelings and not someone they’d met at Coachella.❞

╰┈➤ ❝I wasn’t sure how honest you were supposed to be with your lawyer about these things. If I had actually killed Henry, would I really tell my lawyer the truth? Did Robert Kardashian know that O.J. Simpson had killed Nicole Brown? Did Kris Jenner know? Did Khloe? Did Kendall?❞

╰┈➤ ❝Why should I wait in queue with these strangers? I had known Henry intimately. We dated. He had been inside me! I was carrying his UTI!❞

╰┈➤ ❝Women were terrifying vindictive creatures. We stalked each other online and competed relentlessly. We would cut a beating heart out of each other’s bodies if it made our own stronger.❞

╰┈➤ ❝I told her that I thought I was a good person, but sometimes I felt other people were too stupid to see that.❞

————————————-
Pre-read thoughts: I just love this cover. Also, this is a psychological thriller about a millennial woman who seeks revenge on her ex-situationship. A girl with hobbies! 🫰

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this eARC! Comes out March 31, 2026.

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

crazy town banana pants!

uh huh uh huh...this is my type of weird girl litfic 🤏🏽🤏🏽

somebody lock my girl Lillian up, we are not safe with her running around. if you like unhinged narcissistic women that lives in her own delusions...this is for you. if you think you know unhinged...think again because you haven't met Lillian yet.

with perfect pacing, short chapters & dark humor that kept me giggling out loud, it was so easy for me to fly through this.

Lillian was....a lot. she's kind of the worst really but hear me out, i kinda loved her. she kept me on my toes. being inside her head & seeing how absolutely delusional she was about everything was so fun. watching her make certain decisions that 100% made situations worse was just the icing on the cake for me.

this was a train wreck but an absolute blast & exactly what i needed to lift my spirits up.. it might not be for everyone but it definitely was for me! March cannot come fast enough, i need this sitting on my shelf right next to Sky Daddy ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎]

This novel is told with a mix of this kind of writing:

A girl across from me stopped reading her book and looked up at me, suddenly aware that there was an interesting person in her proximity. I locked eyes with her, and she looked back down, embarrassed.

with spurts of this kind of writing:

It dawned on me that he was breaking up with me.
After I had just sucked his dick.
"I just sucked your dick," I said.
Henry swallowed. "Well, I didn't want to say no to you."
"You literally guided my head to your penis," I said my voice thick with venom. "It's not like I was begging you for a morning bowl of cum." I was growing angrier by the second.

I dunno. Something about the narrator saying her voice was thick with something in this context seemed unintentionally in poor taste. Just as the words “in poor taste” seem a little strained in this review. Also it seems like it shouldn’t be “Henry” doing the swallowing in this scene. Sorry, sorry. I thought Crush, co-written by Kirsten King and Casey Rackham, was sassy and fun. I can imagine this novel translating into a sassy, fun film very easily. I would enjoy watching it. Those who read for story rather than language will love this novel more than I did.

[Lina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 /5 Stars
Much like Lillian, I have an unhealthy obsession and it is this book. “A Good Person” is about Lillian, who is broken up with by her situationship, puts a hex on him, and then he dies the next day. WHOOPS. Did the hex work? Who killed him? Oh and what’s that? He had a girlfriend of 10 years? Was she better than Lillian? Was she prettier? Did he like her more? And once again, who killed him?

You will probably like this book if you like:
🌟 Literary fiction that is mixed with a splash of mystery, horror, and cringe
🌟 A main character that is not meant to be likable
🌟 Laughing and then cringing and then laughing some more
🌟 Feeling like you can relate to the characters and then being worried that you’re relating to the characters

Lillian is the hero in her own story and the villain in everyone else’s. I loved how delusional, cringy, insecure but simultaneously confident, unhinged, and horrible she was. Lillian’s story is not meant to make you feel good or comfortable. She does some whack things and justifies them in her own mind and then spirals into doing even more whack stuff. She walks through life as if there are no consequences and when there are, she just ignores them. I would laugh with her, laugh at her, want to crawl out of my skin with second hand embarrassment, be so uncomfortable, and then start the cycle all over again. It felt like watching a science experiment where you have no clue if something will explode or turn blue or what will happen but it is somehow both exciting and terrifying.

And I think it is scary to admit that we have all done some of the things that Lillian has. If you’ve done all of them, perhaps talk to a mental health professional, but a few of them felt really relatable in a way that made me feel uncomfortable for myself. I got second hand embarrassment for past me. And that relatability made it hard to put the book down.

In some ways, Lillian is also a victim of the world around her. She is so convinced that she has to act like the cool girl who is casual and doesn’t ask for anything and is down for whatever and that is such a sad way to live life. She also centers her whole life around men. She doesn’t have hobbies unless they are things the person she is dating likes. She is convinced that everyone wants to sleep with her and that that is a good thing. I think this gives the book nuance. Yes, she is unhinged but she is unhinged within a system that kind of made her this way. She, in some ways, is a result of the system around her and that result is not pretty or nice.

I truly can’t believe this is a debut. The book is really well written and really sure of its point of view. It is bold and unapologetic with how Lillian is portrayed. It puts its foot down on the gas and doesn't let up. It combines the elements of the mystery in a really competent way. I’m really impressed and Kirsten King is an auto-read author for me now.

Thank you to Brooke and Nancy for the fun buddy read! Check out their reviews too!

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
_______________________
Pre-Read Thoughts: Excited for this buddy read with Nancy and Brooke! Based on a recommendation from the wonderful, Kelsey.

[Kirsten King]

I appreciate everyone who spent a little bit of time in Lillian’s mind — I hope you enjoy the ride 🫶❤️😭

[Dutchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Lillian. Nothing is ever her fault. No one understands her. She’s perfect and the problem is everyone else. Her narcissism is unrivaled. Which makes for an excellent reading experience.

Lillian is extremely oblivious to those around her. She thinks she’s in this perfect relationship with Henry until he breaks up with her. To us as readers, we can see those glaring hints along the way, but poor Lillian is just oblivious. The most obvious thing to do is to put a hex on him. Unfortunately, for Henry, he dies, and some of his best kept secrets are revealed. Lillian being Lillian can’t leave things alone and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This was such a fun, quick read. Lillian is so unlikable that she makes for a great story. She’s unhinged without realizing she’s unhinged might be the best way to describe it. There were a few fun twists along the way and how it ended worked well.

I will definitely be checking out further books by this author for sure. Lillian will be a tough character to beat.

As a brief, FYI the blurb mentions this being similar to Gone Girl and I didn’t really seem to see that correlation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS! I could hardly put it down because I was so anxious to see how everything panned out.

The book begins on Lillian's 29th birthday with her lamenting how she's approaching 30 and doesn't feel accomplished compared to her peers that are getting married, having children and/or successful careers. Lillian works in marketing and lives with a roommate, and her longest relationship is with her current boyfriend, Henry, who she has been seeing for four months. Lillian became instantly obsessed with Henry and imagines herself marrying and starting a life with him (not just Henry - she fantasizes about nearly everyone she interacts with in this way). Her infatuation leans a bit stalkerish and makes her act impulsively. So, it isn't surprising to anyone except Lillian when the relationship ends in a messy breakup. Feeling embarrassed and heartbroken, Lillian takes matters into her own hands by deciding to hex Henry, enlisting the help of her best and only friend, Jamie.

Lillian is completely unlikable (MY FAVORITE). She is narcissistic, impulsive, brutally honest and darkly funny. She lives in her own little delulu world in her head where she is perfect and everyone is in love with her; in reality, others view her as weird and she's generally the black sheep in every group. Yet somehow still, Kirsten King is able to throw in little tidbits that make you relate to Lillian and able to empathize with her at times. This makes for a wildly entertaining ride!

While reading, this book brought to mind my Queen, Anna Dorn's, extremely chaotic and wonderful 'Exalted.' The relationship between Lillian and Jamie reminds me of that between the narrator and Reva in 'My Year of Rest & Relaxation.' If you know anything about my reading taste, those are some of the highest regards I can give to this 220-page gem of a book. I have NO doubt that A Good Person is going to quickly find its niche in the weird girl lit loving community.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book. A Good Person is set to 03.31.26 - MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost didn't finish this book...and then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I spent two days resisting, then I came back and read the entire second half in an evening. A GOOD PERSON gives readers an impossible-to-ignore invitation: "Ever wonder what's going on inside the head of a total sociopath? Yes? Great, let's go!" Lillian is truly, in every way, the worst. And yet I had to know what she'd do next. It's quick, it's twisty, it's casually wrong in every way, and it just works.

[sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!

This book is WILD. I have truly never read a main character like Lillian. The author does a fantastic job of writing an incredibly narcissistic character while playing into the humorous aspects of the situation.

I had to put this book down a few times because Lillian kept making things so much worse for herself. But at the same time, I genuinely could not stop reading and I have been thinking about this book nonstop.

I’m very excited to read more by this author. I think she brings a fresh voice to lit fic. She writes about situations that people in their 20s can relate to.


I think people are going to rave about this one, I can’t wait until it’s published!

[Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

a darkly hilarious and brilliantly batshit high speed ride through the mind and life of a woman with truly nothing to lose, a good person is the unapologetically messy and unhinged novel that makes you question everything about the people around you. it'll have you exclaiming aloud every other page and you'll be unable to stop reading, even when you want to look away. this is the kind of book that's going to be everywhere upon release. lillian is the absolute worst, and i can't wait for the world to meet her.

[Aleks T (alisbookedup) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Warning: This book is marketed as literary fiction, but it should be marketed as psychological horror because I am deeply disturbed.

King has just cemented herself as one of the best debut authors of 2026. This book was one that I could not put down (read it in an afternoon), but I also had to put it down A LOT because I kept getting so angry at Lillian. I have never felt so viscerally toward a character than I have toward her. As a written character, Lillian is one of the most well-developed FMCs I’ve ever encountered in writing. Her personality bursts off the page and fills the room, for better or worse.

I had drastically different hopes for the ending, but that doesn’t change that this story was solid from start to finish. If you love delulu women, run, don’t walk, to preorder this novel. “A Good Person” releases March 31, 2026. Thank you to Kirsten King, Putnam Books, and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

[makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCUSE ME

[Ryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gone Girl meets Big Swiss is right I honestly wasn't expecting how hilarious, nerve-racking, and oddly relatable this book was going to be but it has shot up my list of the best books I've read this year (honestly probably in the top 5). We follow Lillian, a self-absorbed 20-something living in Boston, who's been seeing a man named Henry. Although her best friend sees the relationship as a "situationship", Lillian is desperate to lock him down and spend the rest of their lives together. But after Henry suddenly breaks up with her, in an act of rage she performs a hex she found a tutorial for on YouTube... and he actually ends up being murdered that same night.

Lillian's internal dialogue was so unhinged and fun to read, she's awful in the most enjoyable way possible. Her narcissism, delusions, and her desperation made for a fascinating read that I couldn't put down. the story went down paths that I didn't think it was going to, I'm going to remember those last 5 chapters for a long time lol.

Kirsten King's debut is amazing and I'm excited to see what she releases in the future. I'm pre-ordering my copy now, can't wait for it to be officially released in March and see what everyone thinks!

*Thank you Netgalley for providing me a ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own*

[Mo Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I added the spoiler option, but it’s light, possibly incognito..)

Wow 😳 I don’t where to begin. Or if any words will suffice. So I’m just gonna tap out a list of what comes to mind, and hope it’ll do because I am **flummoxed**…

So…
1. If Linda from SkyDaddy had a sister, it would be this FMC whose name is Lillian.

2. This book was equal parts comedic relief and downright disturbia. Full stop. Lillian was hilarious and certifiably delusional with a victim mentality of superior proportions. Hell, she might have been clinically insane. Idk. Then toss in a heap of trauma….!? Yea, this was a woman teetering on the brink. Actually, “teetering” is probably generous verbiage.

3. Don’t do ambien, y’all! Or if you do, go directly tf to bed. Do not pass the exiting threshold on ambien and do not wield Cuisinart on ambien! To bed you go. Your sheep are waitin’!

4. Form your own thoughts on prose & subject matter, obviously, but there’s absolutely no denying that King is incredibly talented!

~ If you’re a fan of the unique & unorthodox, pick this up. If you’re not sure, pick this up. If you’re not a fan, pick it up anyway. It’s an experience. 💯

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for this arc in exchange for review!
 
Pub: 3.31.2026.

[liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the most ridiculous insanity of a rollercoaster ride on the downward spiral of a narcissist’s life, in the best possible way, and I laughed the whole way through.

Going into this novel, keep in mind first and foremost you are stuck in the thoughts and feelings of the most narcissistic narrator of all time. You could write an entire research paper on the DSM 5 diagnoses for the main character. The things that come out of her mouth as she navigates her drama left my jaw on the floor. But at the end of the day she is JUST A GIRL!

This is a great read if you like reality tv level drama and watching people spiral their lives into complete and utter insanity to make yourself feel better about your own mental health, like I sure do!

I also love all the pop culture references throughout. A plethora of nonstop references to pop music, tv shows, and events of the 21st century.

I honestly reccomend just cracking this baby open without reading much of the plot because the turn that it randomly takes (which is in the book description) is so absurd it was an absolute treat to get to go into this completely blind.

Finding out after I read it that the author is also a screenwriter makes total total sense in the prose of the story, and sometimes I felt like I was watching a movie, but I seriously enjoyed and laughed at every ludicrous bit of this story.

Thank you to Putnam & NetGalley for the ARC.

[✧Bella✧]

rtc

[Lorin (paperbackbish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you GP Putnam’s Sons for my free ARC of A Good Person by Kirsten King — available Mar 31!

» READ IF YOU «
😬 love messy, delusional anti-hero FMCs
💀 enjoy dark humor and unhinged narrators
📱 have ever wanted to curse someone you dated

» SYNOPSIS «
After an abrupt dumping by her situationship, Lillian does what any of us would do—gets drunk and performs a revenge hex she found on youtube. Except oops, the guy ends up dead the very next morning. Now she’s tangled in suspicion, obsession, and a liiiiiiiitle anxiety over the effectiveness of that drunken hex.

» REVIEW «
This was laugh-out-loud funny, especially in the beginning. Lillian is the absolute worst kind of person, but man is she a fun train wreck to ogle from a safe distance. She makes terrible choices, with full confidence, and we just have to watch as she makes a sticky situation somehow ten times worse. And this is a debut! Kirsten King definitely has me in her clutches for her next book, this one was so exhilarating and entertaining to read. Even the “side” characters are complex and memorable.

If you’re looking for an unhinged FMC and a wild, chaotic ride, this book is for you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

[keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I read the entire thing in almost one sitting because I couldn't put it down.

In the vein of other "unhinged", messy women lit fic, A Good Person follows Lillian, a narcissistic, stalkerish woman who is celebrating her four month anniversary with her self-proclaimed boyfriend, Henry. When he dumps her shortly after and she puts a YouTube hex on him in retaliation, he winds up dead, and Lillian becomes a suspect in the case.

Despite being a wholly terrible person, you can't help but keep reading about Lillian. As the story goes on, she sinks more deeply into her jealous, obsessive tendencies, which impact her roommate, her best friend, and even Henry's actual girlfriend. Each time Lillian gave me a shred of hope that she was reflecting on her own behavior, she'd go and do something unfathomably worse. I thought the plot progression was well done. Lillian is truly one of the most infuriating protagonists I've read in a while, but King does a great job of balancing her with more lighthearted, humorous plot points (everything about her job and the influencer was so nonsensical but so well-tied to the main plot). It was especially interesting to watch how Lillian manages to push away every person in her life through her own reprehensible behavior and how it comes to inform her decisions later on. King sticks the landing; it's unsurprising that the culmination of the story leads here, but it feels earned by the end.

I liked a lot of the social commentary that was sprinkled throughout, and I wish some of it had been further explored. Nora's storyline about social media and whether she was being exploitative in talking about Henry's death online was particularly relevant and interesting. It added another layer to see it filtered through Lillian's point-of-view; you were never really certain whether Nora was using the story for personal gain, or if this was simply Lillian's flawed perspective.

There were one too many pop culture references for my taste (and a few that will ultimately date the book). The similes were also very hit-or-miss (the one about used condoms in the ocean...?), but overall, the writing was solid for a debut.

I think this is a book readers are going to have a lot of fun with, and it's a fresh version of this type of protagonist and story. Definitely worth checking out if you've enjoyed books with similar insufferable protagonists and their questionable choices!

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No one preys on you if you are the monster."

This book and the main character, Lillian, was a hot mess express. If you know me then you know I’m all about the hottest mess. You think you know crazy… wait until you meet Lillian or should I say Lilian…

Wait! This was a debut!? Are you kidding me? This reads like a well established author and now I'm obsessed. The author knew how to instantly draw you into her story and never let you go. Like being wrapped in your favorite blanket from when you were younger. She was there to protect you when things went from crazy to downright insanity at the nuthouse.

The story was absolutely bonkers. Lillian had me screaming through the entirety of this book and I'm still sitting here wide-eyed about to have an attack. Holy s**t! Gurl!

'A Good Person' was a hell of a debut. Add this to your tbr if you love crazy and women being an absolute unhinged nightmare. Girl, I'm here for it!

[Katie McNeely · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was an A24 fever dream. This one will be setting up a permanent residence in my brain for a while.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Person by Kirsten King. Thanks to @gpputnam for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lillian thinks she’ll finally lock in a boyfriend, as her situation with Henry deepens, but she soon learns he feels differently. Angry she puts a drunken hex on him and is surprised when he’s found murdered the next day.

This is one of those books where you love to hate the narrator, but also hate to love her. Lillian is an awful person, but it’s hard to look away as she lives her life for herself only. Her selfishness rubs off on her life and her situations just become worse and worse but the reader is there for the spiral. It’s unusual to read about such a wildly unlikable character and still want more, but it happens.

“No one preys on you if you are the monster.”

Read this book if you like:
-Obsession tropes
-Unreliable narrators
-Female new adult stories
-Unlikeable characters

A Good Person comes out 3/31.

[Tyler Schaben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll write a review tomorrow. This was a fucking blast.

Update: A new all-time favorite. This book was an absolute delight from start to finish. Lillian is hands-down one of the most unforgettable characters I’ve ever read, and that is a huge compliment. She is gloriously unhinged, selfish, and unapologetically self-absorbed, caring about no one but herself. Experiencing a story through the eyes of someone so unapologetically unlikeable is an absolute thrill.

Her narcissism is off the charts, yet somehow, through clever humor, she becomes oddly endearing, and yes, that might say something about me. Kirsten King’s writing is razor-sharp, witty, and genuinely hilarious. I don’t often laugh out loud while reading, but I found myself chuckling repeatedly, thoroughly entertained by every scene. The pop culture references were spot-on, and I devoured this book in less than a day, completely captivated by Lillian and her delightfully intrusive thoughts.\

Reading this was like watching a car crash into a dumpster and catch fire. It was utterly chaotic and wild, in the absolute best way possible. I cannot wait to see what Kirsten King writes next!

[indi · Rating 4 out of 5]

damn I was hooked. This girl is psycho and such a narcissist I got such a good view of this characters brain I was lowkey scared. Please write more women unhinged IM SAT

[Karli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lillian is a good person. She is great at her marketing job, a good friend and a kind, thoughtful girlfriend. Well hopefully girlfriend! She is still 'patiently' waiting for her frequent hook up Henry to open his eyes and see that they would have the perfect life together. But the worst happens when Henry ends things between them unexpectedly. In her grief, she turns to rising influencer "The Wellness Witch"'s videos and performances a hex on Henry. Things turn deadly when the next day he is found dead and she is a prime suspect in his murder after her ominous text of "youre going to get what you deserve". Desperate to prove she is a good person, Lillian undertakes the task of discovering the truth.

If you love completely delusional, self-centered, unhinged MC's then let me introduce you to Lillian. She is one of the biggest narcissists in the world, she thinks everyone loves her or would if she wanted them too (like she thinks it would take one wink and her lawyer would leave his family for her). But the truth is that she is obsessive, vindictive, and so selfish that most people don't even really want to be around her. She goes to great lengths to prove that she is Henry's one true girlfriend but she is so far up delulu creek and I'm not sure she ever had a paddle. I loved being in Lillian's head, she was hilarious when she went off on these tangents as she started to spiral. I also loved her therapy session where she spilled every little detail about everything.

This book is very similiar to the movie 'Fatal Attraction' in ways as well as a more humorous verison of the book 'Boy Parts' by Eliza Clark. So if you like either of those, I think you'll enjoy this one.

Thank you to Nergalley and G.P Putnam's Sons for the arc.

[BookDoctorDanni on TikTok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy sh*t this was a wild ride and I loved every page of it.
Unhinged disaster girl litfic done perfectly. 🤌🏽

Unstable doesn’t begin to describe the FMC Lillian. She is so unhinged I couldn’t keep up with her thoughts and I never had a clue what that woman was going to do next.

Lillian is so insufferable, I had to put the book down a few times and gather my patience for this woman. Unlikable is an understatement, so keep that in mind if you don’t like that sort of FMC. Though I LOVE unlikable MC, and this was perfect for me, she still frustrated the hell out of me. But my girl Lillian had me laughing through the pain.

This covers many sensitive topics and in my opinion has a lot of substance beyond the crazy FMC.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!! This book is definitely one of my favorite reads this year!!! I started yesterday afternoon and could not put it down, I had to find out how the story ended!!! Lillian is such a complex character and her inner dialogue was hilarious, I was laughing out loud at how ludicrous her mind was. When I requested the arc a few months back, I read the synopsis but once I actually got it I had forgotten was it was about so jumped into it blindly and really loved that because I was really shocked by absurdity of it all! An absolute 10/10 for me, already suggested it to all my friends that are equally as unhinged as me!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would never tolerate a narcissist in real life, but give me one in a novel and I am hooked. A Good Person is basically watching Lillian burn her life down in slow motion, and I devoured it in one sitting because I couldn’t look away. Every decision she makes is like a car crash. You know you shouldn’t stare, but you absolutely do.

The characters felt painfully real (especially poor best friend/pushover Jamie), which made Lillian’s chaos hit even harder. And that ending? Chef’s kiss. The perfect payoff to all the beautifully terrible choices along the way.

This book is a train wreck, a mess, and an absolute delight. Highly recommend if you enjoy flawed, unlikable characters who are impossible to stop watching.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[sarah cucchiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

successful anti-boston propaganda

I was apprehensive about this at first, but as soon as the hexing began I found myself entranced in this story and couldn't bring myself to put it down. Lillian's character was so unbelievably annoying at times but so reminiscent of that caricature of the zillenial we have in our heads, or maybe how we seem from the outside. Vapid, self-absorbed, egregiously (and often) wrong, Lillian should not be likable, but I found myself laughing out loud (re: goblingirlxo, amateur sorcerers) at her rationales and how her behavior feels uncomfortably accurate.

Go into this with zero expectations, expect to cringe at times, but enjoy the ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the advance copy!!

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 leaning 3.5
Fun and satirical! Somehow I didn’t tire of how ridiculous the protagonist’s voice is. I don’t usually like the “what if a girl was fucked up” genre but I think this was interesting enough and challenging that trope a wee bit so I was hooked.